Blow-back.



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BLOW BACK. APPLICATION FILED APR-20, 1915' Patented June 27, 1916..

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THE COLUMBIA PLANOORAPH 120., WASHINGTON, D- c- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES C. I-IARTPENGE, OF COLUMBUS, GEORGIA, ASSIGNOR T0 LUMMUS COTTON GIN COMPANY, OF COLUMBUS, GEORGIA, A CORPORATION OF GEORGIA.

BLOW-BACK.

Application filed April 20, 1915.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES C. HART- FENCE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Columbus, in the county of Muscogee and State of Georgia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Blow- Backs; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to blow-backs for gin feeders, and has for an object to provide a device which not only interrupts the suction of the pneumatic elevator and through the screen of a gin feeder but also reverses the current of air and blows back through the screen to force the cotton down ward in the elevator chute and to clean the screen of cotton and extraneous matter adhering thereto.

In the ordinary use of the pneumatic elevator for gin feeding, the cotton and extraneous matter may be drawn by suction against the screen in the gin feeder, and periodically the suction is interrupted to permit the cotton to drop from the elevator chute to the gin feeder, being again resumed to draw cotton up into the elevator chute.

Under some conditions of operation it is found that simply interrupting the air or exhaust does not permit sufficient cotton and matter to drop from the chute, also from the screen to the feeder, and that assistance is required to positively drop such cotton and matter.

The present invention provides apparatus for not only interrupting the suction, but simultaneously with the interruption of such suction reversing the current of air from the force side of the fan to return air through the pipe and force the cotton in the elevator chute and the cotton and extraneous matter clinging to the screen off from such screen and downwardly into the feeder.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in certain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the drawings :Figure 1 is a view of Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J une 27, 1916.

Serial No. 22,682.

the improved installation in side elevation, certain parts being broken away to show the internal construction. Fig. 2 is a view of the cut-off valve in side elevation showing one manner of operating the same.

Like reference characters designate correspondlng parts throughout the several views.

The improved blow-back which forms the subject-matter of this application is operated in conjunction with a fan 10 of substantially the usual and ordinary type employed in pneumatic cotton elevators, such fan being connected with the elevator through the pipe 11, valve 12 and pipe 13. The pipe 13 after passing over the required number of gin feeders in the usual wellknown manner is connected with the pneumatic elevator pipe ordinarily employed to extend downwardly into a wagon to unload cotton therefrom.

The valve 12 is also of a type already in use wherein butterfly valve blades 14 and 15 are respectively mounted upon shafts 16 and 17 and connected to operate in unison in any approved manner as by the segments 18 and 19. The valves 14 and 15 are opened and closed periodically by any approved mechanism here shown specifically as a gear 20 loosely mounted upon the shaft 16 and driven by a worm 21 which in turn is driven by a pulley 22 from any convenient source of power. The shaft 17 carries a shoe 23, and the gear 20 carries one or more'lugs or rollers 24 properly positioned in its rotation to engage the shoe 23 to move such shoe from full line to dotted line position as shown at Fig. 2. The movement of the shoe 23 causes the partial rotation of the shaft 17 and the valve 15 carried thereby which, through the medium of the segments 18 and 19, also rotates the shaft 16 and valve 14 carried thereby to open position as shown at Fig. 1. As soon as the shoe 23 is released by the roller 24, the valves are returned to closed position in any approved manner as by the spring 25 connected with a lever 26 which is in turn rigidly connected with the shaft 17. It is obvious that the valves may be returned to position in any usual wellknown manner.

It will be apparent especially from Fig. 1

that the valve 1 1 is contained wholly within the valve housing 12 while the valve 15 opens and closes ports 27 and 28. The foregoing valve and its operation is as usually employed in such construction, and when the valves are opened to full line position as shown at Fig. 1, air enters through the port 28 to the fan, the exhaust being cut off by the opening of the valve while air enters through the port 27 to relieve any rarefication of the air in the pipe 13.

The present invention, however, provides means for forcing air through the port 27 when the valves are in a position shown at F 1 instead of simply permitting the atinospheric air to enter to relieve the partial vacuum. This is accomplished by providing a branch pipe 29 tapping the outflow of air from the fan which ordinarily is conducted through the pipe 30 either to the at mospheric air or to the seed-blowing conveyer. The branch pipe 29 is connected with the port 27 and with the valve 15 by means of a flexible fabric 31 of the wellknown accordion formation so that air from the fan 10 passing through the pipe 29 when the .valves are opened in position shown at Fig. 1 will be forced through the port 27 into the pipe 13.

As the elevation of cotton and its passage through the feeder pipes offers considerable resistance, it is obvious that when the port 28 is opened such resistance will be relieved. A valve 32 is preferably provided in the pipe 30 which may not close the entire area of the pipe when the valve itself is closed as indicated at Fig. 1. This valve 32 is preferably operated in synchronism with the valves 14 and 15 and in any approved man ner as by connecting the arm 33 carried by said valve by means of a link 34 with the arm 26 carried by the Valve 15. It will be obvious therefore from an examination of Fig. 1 that when the valves M and 15, are open as shown at full line position in that figure, the valve 32 will be closed interrupting a portion of the passage through the pipe 30thereby offering resistance to the passage of the air through such pipe and tending to shunt a part of the air through the pipe 29 and port 27 to the pipe 13. It is obvious, therefore, that when the valves 14% and 15 are operated by the mechanism pro vided for that purpose, they simultaneously open a port to supply air to the fan, and also a valve shunting a part of the air from the fan back to the supply pipe to blow the cotton through the chute and blow the cotton and any extraneous matter clinging or adhering to the screen of the gin-feeder away from such screen.

While the valves and their operating means have been shown specifically herein, it is obvious that any usual and ordinary type of valve and operating means may be flue, and a branch flue communicating with the blast side of the fan and with the firstmentioned flue, the valve being between the fan and the branch flue.

2. The combination with a gin-feeder of an exhaust fan and an exhaust flue; a bypass flue communicating from the fan to the first-mentioned flue; and a valve adapted when opened to interrupt communication in the flrstmentioned flue, open a port to the fan and open communication between the by-pass flue and the first-mentioned flue.

3. The combination with a gin-feeder of an exhaust fan, an exhaust flue and a com pression flue; a bypass flue extending from the compression flue to the exhaust flue, and a valve located in the exhaust flue adapted when closed to establish through communication in such exhaust flue, and when opened to interrupt such communication, and open relief to the fan, and open communication between the bypass flue and the exhaust flue.

4. The combination with a gin-feeder of an exhaust fan, an exhaust flue located upon one side of the fan, a compression flue located upon the opposite side of the fan, a by-pass flue forming communication between the compression flue and the exhaust flue, a valve located in the exhaust flue adapted when closed to provide through communication in the exhaust flue and when opened to interrupt such communication, open relief to the fan and open communication between the by-pass flue and the exhaust flue, and a valve located in the compression flue proportioned when closed to constrict the compression flue, and means to operate the valves in synchronism.

5. The combination with a gin-feeder embodying an exhaust fan, an exhaust flue and i a compression flue; of a by-pass flue forming communication between the compression flue and the exhaust flue, a valve housing introduced into the exhaust flue and providing a port communicating with the atmospheric air and a port forming communication between the by-pass flue and the exhaust flue, a valve located in the valve housing proportioned to at times interrupt passage through the exhaust flue and open the ports, and a valve located in the compression flue proportioned to constrict the flue when closed, and means to actuate the valves in synchro nism.

6. The combination with a gin feeder, of a suction tube communicating therewith and having a lateral opening, a valve for interrupting the suction and admitting air at the opening, and means for introducing a blast into the suction tube upon the interruption of the suction to blow cotton down in the feeder.

7 The combination with a gin feeder, of a suction tube communicating therewith, a

10 blast tube, a by-pass extending from the blast tube to the suction tube, and valves arranged to simultaneously interrupt the suction in the suction tube and open the by-pass to ad mit blast to blow cottondown in the feeder.

8. The combination with a gin feeder, of a suction tube operating in conjunction therewith, a blast tube, a by-pass forming communication between the blast tube and the Copies of thin Datent may he obtained for suction tube and normally closed, and means to at times simultaneously interrupt the suction in the suction tube and open the bypass to admit blast to blow cotton down in the feeder. 7

9. The combination with a gin feeder, of a suction tube for drawing cotton thereto, a blast tube, means in the suction tube to ad mit air to the tube and to interrupt the suction beyond the air inlet, a conduit extending from the blast tube and communicating with the suction tube beyond the air inlet,

and means to at times open the passage from the conduit to the suction tube to reverse the flow of air and blow cotton down in the feeder.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

CHARLES C. HARTPENCE.

five cent! each, by addreuing the Commissioner of Zhtents, Washington, D. 0. 

